Kaziah Liz Mejo Wins Miss Universe India 2026, Becomes Kerala’s First Titleholder

Nineteen-year-old law student and model Kaziah Liz Mejo was crowned Miss Universe India 2026 at the national finale held in Jaipur on August 23. Representing Kerala, she succeeded Miss Universe India 2025 Manika Vishwakarma and will now carry India’s sash at the 75th Miss Universe pageant.

The Miss Universe India organisation officially announced Mejo as its 2026 winner and shared footage of her crowning. The organisation said she would begin preparing to represent India on the international Miss Universe stage.

Her victory is also a milestone for Kerala. Mejo said after winning that she had brought the Miss Universe India crown to her home state for the first time in the competition’s history.

Who is Kaziah Liz Mejo?

Mejo is from Mavelikkara in Kerala but spent much of her formative life in Abu Dhabi. She is currently pursuing law alongside her work in modelling and pageantry.

Speaking to Gulf News after her victory, Mejo described how being raised in the UAE allowed her to retain a strong connection with India while growing up among people from several nationalities and cultures. She believes that experience could become an advantage when she competes on an international stage.

“The UAE made sure that I was connected with my roots in India, while also being connected with the rest of the world,” she told the publication.

Her interests extend beyond modelling. According to the official Miss Teen Diva profile, Mejo has trained in Indian classical dance for 12 years. She also sings and plays the violin and drums.

The profile states that she began acting with the Malayalam film Shylock. However, details about the extent of her appearance in the film are limited in the available official material, so it should not be described as a substantial acting role without further confirmation.

A pageant journey that began in her teens

Although Mejo is only 19, the Jaipur finale was not her first major pageant.

At 17, she won the Miss Teen Diva 2024 competition and received the Miss Teen International India title. She subsequently represented India at Miss Teen International 2025, where she finished as the first runner-up.

Earlier in 2026, she won Miss Universe Kerala, earning the opportunity to represent the state at the Miss Universe India finale. Her national victory therefore completes a clear progression from a teenage title and international experience to a state crown and, finally, India’s Miss Universe designation.

In an interview following her win, Mejo described the journey as one she had pursued between the ages of 16 and 19. She also spoke about the support she received from her parents, teachers and the community in Abu Dhabi.

“I left home and I left Abu Dhabi so, so long ago in pursuit of this dream,” she told Gulf News, adding that she had promised her school, teachers and friends that she would return with the crown.

The final answer that helped her secure the title

During the concluding question-and-answer round, Mejo was asked what the “sound of silence” meant to her personally.

Her response linked silence with the feeling of being at home and the calm she experiences before stepping onto a stage. She said that her breathing and pulse settle when she knows she belongs in a particular space.

“It seems difficult to believe, but I feel silence, and I feel calm, and I feel at my most peaceful self right before I enter a stage,” she said during the finale.

She concluded by telling the audience that the stage was where she felt at home and thanking India. The answer reflected a theme she has repeated in interviews since winning: performing before an audience gives her a sense of composure rather than anxiety.

Who were the Miss Universe India 2026 runners-up?

Tamil Nadu’s Vaishnavi Gannesh was named the first runner-up, while Gujarat’s Anushri Satavlekar finished as the second runner-up.

Published coverage also identifies Satavlekar as Miss International India 2026. That is a separate designation connected with representation at another international pageant and should not be confused with the Miss Universe India title won by Mejo.

The finale’s judging panel included Sushmita Sen, India’s first Miss Universe winner, along with actor and former pageant titleholders Celina Jaitly and Urvashi Rautela.

Mejo was crowned by outgoing titleholder Manika Vishwakarma.

What comes next for Kaziah Liz Mejo?

The Miss Universe India organisation has confirmed that Mejo will represent the country at the 75th Miss Universe competition.

The international pageant is scheduled to take place in Puerto Rico in November 2026. This gives her a relatively short preparation period in which to develop her international-stage presentation, interview strategy, wardrobe and national representation programme.

India has won the Miss Universe crown three times: Sushmita Sen in 1994, Lara Dutta in 2000 and Harnaaz Sandhu in 2021. Mejo will enter the forthcoming edition as the country’s latest representative rather than as a confirmed favourite; predictions about placements remain speculative until the international competition begins.

The Celebrity Hour Take

Kaziah Liz Mejo’s victory is notable for more than her age. At 19, she already has experience in a previous international pageant, while her Kerala roots and Abu Dhabi upbringing give her a personal story that connects regional Indian identity with a multicultural education.

Her law studies, performing-arts background and earlier pageant training also mean that she is not arriving at Miss Universe as a newcomer to public speaking or the stage.

The next important test will be how her national team shapes those different elements into a focused international campaign. Her biography contains several compelling strands, but success at Miss Universe will depend on presenting them as a coherent identity rather than simply a list of accomplishments.

Sources & Verification

This report was prepared using the Miss Universe India organisation’s official announcement and crowning material, Kaziah Liz Mejo’s official public profile, the Miss Teen Diva organisation’s titleholder record and her post-victory interview with Gulf News. Details concerning the finale, runners-up and winning answer were cross-checked against coverage from The Indian Express, NDTV and other established publications. Conflicting reports about the exact number of contestants were excluded.